US dairy sector making headway in the European Union by trans-Atlantic trade negotiations

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations could lead to the removal of barriers that have until now prevented US dairy manufacturers making "headway" in the European Union (EU), US dairy sector representatives have claimed.

US President Barack Obama, European Commission (EC) President José Manuel Barroso, and European Council President Herman Von Rompuy revealed in a joint statement that the US and EU had agreed to launch negotiations to establish a trade and investment deal.

According to the statement, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will focus on the removal of tariffs, open investment markets, and "aligning rules and technical product standards" that currently hinder trade between the US and the 27 EU Member States.

The IUF believes that recent trade initiatives like this and the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) are more about deregulation and privatization in the interests of investors than they are about trade. Members should be vigilant in watching developments and campaign against proposals that undermine the ability for elected Governments to have democratic control over natural resources and national regulations.

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The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) is an international federation of trade unions representing workers employed in agriculture and plantations; the preparation and manufacture of food and beverages; hotels, restaurants and catering services; all stages of tobacco processing. The IUF is composed of 427 affiliated trade unions in 127 countries representing over 10 million workers.